Glitter and gold on the red carpet

Rooney Mara

Photograph by: Michael Buckner
, Getty Images

The unexpected stood out at the Oscars Sunday night: a dark heroine in white, a demure ingenue, a possible nipple sighting during best-costume presentation. (Oh, wait - that was Jennifer Lopez.)

Fashion star Rooney Mara defied all bets, showing up on the red carpet in an ivory lace gown by Givenchy, with train and slightly kinky strap treatment on the back. It was a stunner, contrasting with her severe black hair, white skin and red lips - and the black she was expected to wear.

Also refreshing was 20-year-old Shailene Woodley in demure white Valentino Couture, high on the neck, with long sleeves and a disc design on the bodice.

Making it a trio in winning white, Gwyneth Paltrow wore a gown and cape from the ultra-luxe Tom Ford line, so exclusive that pictures from his presentations are not released to media. "This was it," Paltrow said of the dress, declining to remove the strong-shouldered cape on the red carpet.

Michelle Williams blossomed after a dull Golden Globe outing in strapless Louis Vuitton, a millefeuille of coral chiffon with a peplum, set off with a diamond bow brooch at the waist.

And Jessica Chastain rocked a baroque gold and black Alexander McQueen, with a strapless bodice that actually fit - with a reported $2 million worth of Harry Winston jewels.

Meryl Streep came not as the Iron Lady, but as the copper-golden girl, her draped, glittering Lanvin gown more than a wink to the coveted Oscar statuette.

Stacy Keibler shone in gold Marchesa, also referencing the golden statue her date, George Clooney, was expected to take home. The gown was fodder for quips about the trophy girlfriend, but it was a winner with its twirl of fabric forming a large rose on her skinny hip.

Off the red carpet and on stage, two veteran va-va voomers unleashed Twitter-storms.

Angelina Jolie, so emaciated, her head looked too big for her body, flashed her leg in her slit Atelier Versace, deliberately, repeatedly and annoyingly.

Jennifer Lopez, "glistening," according to Ryan Seacrest, wore sparkling white Zuhair Murad with a geometric pattern. On stage, she might have had a nip slip while presenting the award for best costume design.

The early trend of the evening was sequins, often with a nod to the flapper age featured in The Artist.

There was a black backless Vivienne Westwood on Rose Byrne (it would be my pick for Rooney Mara), rust strapless Armani Prive on Ellie Kemper, red on Jane Seymour, silver on Lea Thompson, and emerald with a sparkling bodice by Vera Wang on Viola Davis.

It all began to look a little bit like Christmas.

Emma Stone, too young, perhaps, to remember Nicole Kidman in a similar number by Balenciaga, wore Giambattista Valli Couture with a giant bow on the neck.

The Artist seemed to inspire many of the celebrity choices.

The film's female lead, Berenice Bejo, wore a mint beaded Elie Saab, with a Heidi hairdo, that did not quite qualify as "on" era.

Milla Jovovich, also in beaded Elie Saab (it usually is), channelled the look with red lips, plenty of rouge and a flapper do.

Sandra Bullock's Marchesa gown had a dropped embellished waist, a hallmark of the time. Her ponytail broke the mood, though.

Octavia Spencer's Tadashi Shoji gown had a deco pattern in sequins, while Judy Greer trumpeted the jazz age with a stunner of a black gown with gold panel down the front.

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